SkySafari
By Amanda Bindel,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Beautiful astronomy resource is rich with information.
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SkySafari
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What’s It About?
SKYSAFARI is a point-and-identify sky map that includes the major planets and moons; tens of thousands of stars; 220 of the best-known star clusters; and nebulae, galaxies, asteroids, comets, and more. Kids need to enable the compass on their device (which is on the bottom of the screen when the app is open) and point the device at the sky. They can also view the night sky for any time up to one hundred years in the past or future. Using the search function, kids can find specific objects in the night sky, guided by arrows showing them where to point the device.
Is It Any Good?
SkySafari makes it possible to view space from a small device kids can hold in their hands. The images come from NASA space missions, the Hubble Space Telescope, and astro-photographers -- and are beautiful. In addition to viewing the night sky -- past, present, and future -- kids can read details about each planet, galaxy, star, and object. A neat feature in the search function is "Tonight's Best," which lists the objects in the night sky that are best for viewing that evening.
SkySafari works wonderfully alongside a telescope, so kids familiar with viewing the night sky through a telescope will adapt easily to using SkySafari to its fullest capabilities. Kids who are interested in identifying constellations and stars can do that, but Mobile Observatory is easier to navigate.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Explore the universe together, making a plan of which sky objects you'll look for.
View the list of local astronomy events and attend one together.
If you live near a planetarium or an observatory, visit it together to learn more about our solar system.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Science: astronomy
- Skills: Tech Skills: using and applying technology
- Pricing structure: Paid (There are optional in-app purchases for extra content and features.)
- Release date: June 11, 2020
- Category: Education
- Topics: Science and Nature, Space and Aliens
- Publisher: Simulation Curriculum Corp.
- Version: 6.7.2
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 8.0 or later; Android 4.4 and up
- Last updated: October 1, 2020
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